Detail: Commemorating Japan Society’s 110th anniversary, this special exhibition celebrates the life and legacy of Hasegawa Tōhaku (1539–1610), founder of the Hasegawa school of painting and one of 16th-century Japan’s leading artistic innovators. For the first time in the U.S., visitors will have an unparalleled opportunity to experience more than ten of Tōhaku’s most celebrated works in a single space, including four Important Cultural Properties from Japanese collections.

A Giant Leap traces the artist’s evolution from a painter of provincial origins to a master favored by samurai and other cultural luminaries. A special focus will be a screen from a private collection, depicting flowers and birds of spring and summer, believed to mark the pivotal moment of Tōhaku's transformation. Owing to their rarity and in order to preserve their remarkable condition, the screens and scroll paintings will be displayed in two rotations, March 9—April 8, 2018 and April 12—May 6, 2018.